Dakar

So I came to the computer and found the internet working a bit. It is almost one am here and you don´t sleep much because of the heat. When you do fall asleep the call to prayers wakes you up around 5am. I´m sorry but who wakes up to pray at that God-awful hour without a coffee even?! LOL

So I am trying not to be too hard on myself and realize I must give myself time to get used to it. Two words: HOT and DUST. Tomorrow is Friday which is the holy day and we only have to work half days on Fridays! YAY Then I will venture to the city center this weekend where the markets are. I will take the bus by myself tomorrow for the first time.

The women here really dress up and they even wear heels which I just don´t understand. It is impossible to wear makeup as it just melts off and to do your hair?! Yeah-the African women are smart when they wrap it up in a cloth let me tell you. I will learn this trade for sure.

The expense of life here is incredible. I learned that most get by because they just eat rice. The staple here for breakfast is nescafe (instant coffee) and a baguette. THey eat as much baguettes as the French! Unfortunately, it is not the same for wine and cheese :)

I am SO glad I am staying with a family. Im not sure how I would make it without them here. I am meeting up with a colleague from school on Sunday to explore. We haven´t met yet but were connected through the Columbia.

I am laughing as I keep hearing the sheep outside. Hmm...what else can I tell you? When I get down and feel like I can´t do this I think of the poverty these people live in and how I get to go back in three months to the greatest city in the world. I just think about how blessed I am and how amazing this experience will turn out to be even though it is truly a rough one.

Well I guess that is all for now. Thanks for reading and...

Salaam Alekum (Peace be with you.)

Gabrielle